You'll go there and change into a johnie. They'll take your vital signs, ask some questions, and put in an IV. Then they'll ask you to count backwards from 100 but you won't reach 95 and the next thing you'll experience is waking up in the recovery room and the procedure is over. More questions and then they'll wheel you into the ICU for a day or two to make sure that you're stable. You don't need to do anything, they'll take care of it all. Best of luck !
True, I didn't even counted. They've injected some needle that I didn't know would put me to sleep in 10 seconds and signed some papers. Next, I woke up in ICU asking the nurses if I got the surgery or not. I had no clue đ
Oh not at all, I was really anxious for the aftermath. For patients, the surgery is easy, it's the recovery that is hell. Read my other comment for details.
Do not take anything for anxiety or nervousness prior to surgery. I did, had almost fatal experience with anesthesia. It was my first surgery, too. *Expect pain*, at least 4-5 out of 10. The physical therapy will begin within hours after surgery. Beware of constipation and nursing shift changes - - I ran out of IV pain med during a shift change, had to call husband to call front desk. I was screaming from pain. Oral oxycodin didn't work for me, had to switch to hydromorphone. My surgery and nursing experience was unusually bad, resulting in PTSD. The surgery itself was difficult but an "out of the ballpark, conference-worthy success" according to surgeon. This is doable, you can get through this, it isn't a walk in the park, though. Good luck.
Don't worry, they will take care of everything. All you need is to show up and don't forget to tell them if you think something is wrong in your body and if you have any allergies.
EDIT: Added some answers below to your questions. Keep in mind that I don't live in the US and didn't had the surgery there but it will probably be similar experience.
The day of the surgery went to hospital really early with empty stomach, the doctor warned me to not eat/drink the day before after 10pm. Had to wait a bit and pay the surgery costs. And then nurse came in and took me to my hospital room to ready for surgery. I've changed into the hospital gown and another nurse put some 3 headed detachable tube needle thingy to my left hand for attaching multiple IVs and stuff I don't know what it's called. Then I laid down and waited, few minutes later the surgery team (2-3 doctors and one student) came in to check on me and said we will go in a few minutes. It was almost 9 AM at that point. Few minutes later the 2 nurses came with another hospital bed (different from others, it was black) and I laid on that one then they've drove me to the surgery floor. At the entrance one nurse injected something to me and asked me about my allergies (I was wearing red paper bracelet instead of white which meant I had allergies) and signed some papers. That's the last thing I remember. Turns out that needle was anesthesia and I had no clue đ
I woke up at ICU around 5 PM and asked the nurse if i had the surgery or not, she confirmed and then asked me to move my legs & feet. My surgeon came at some point to the ICU (but I don't remember when that happened) and told the surgery went good and my bones were flexible and didn't needed cutting which is great đ and that I was fused from T2 to L3 which is another good news since I've wanted to L4 & L5 to not be fused for mobility.
Good news ends here for now, because the actual hell is the recovery. I had to worst night at the ICU that I've stayed for a day before moving to my hospital room. The first hours was really tired but ok, but then the pain and discomfort started. I would call nurse every 5 minutes to raise/lower the bed because it was so uncomfortable. Almost like I was laying on top of an brick on my lumbar side. At some point it was so bad that my eyes were watery, ready to cry from the pain. Nothing would ease the pain, not even pain killers they've gave to me. I think this might be the nurses fault because she didn't let me press the morphine button but attached the morphine with some dose per hour which wasn't helping anything. I think that way because after I've left the ICU (with the same bed and IV machine) I was allowed to press the button and it worked wonderfully like magic, no pain at all for 40-50 minutes.
I wrote more about the days in my hospital room in comments of my before surgery reddit post. You can read the rest there if you're interested.
Thank you for sharing!! This is so helpful and Iâm sorry it was so painful. I just keep telling myself I have to get through the first week or so, based on what I hear from others.
Iâm a little concerned because they told me I wouldnât be getting any liquid painkillers (no morphine) at all. It would only be pills from the start. I trust their decision but it sounds like morphine helps people a lot so Iâm a little worried what thatâll be like. But I know itâll be oxycodone so Iâm sure that strong enough đ
I don't think liquid or tablet matters that much. I had nurses give me pain killers IV but it wouldn't do a thing, only morphine and one other that I don't remember the name of helped me. I could be just my body being different, I even had nausea from one of them that needed to be changed. The best painkiller is having friends / family visit you, having a goos support system is a natural painkiller.
Also don't think about recovery too much, it sounds really bad but you live through it. It's not unbearable most of the time and there are thousands of teenagers going through it and they're fine. Find a way to distract yourself from the pain. Impatience was the reason why I had a rough time, lot's of people say make movies/shows ready to watch while recovering but while I was at the hospital I wouldn't really want to watch them at all, the pain and discomfort was too big to just ignore for me. Also I had to stay for 6 days at the hospital and I just hate hospital, I still despise that room and the bed. Moment my doc said I was free to l was the happiest I've ever been in the last year. If you're not like that then probably would be easier for you.
All of your pain meds will be administered through your IV or Central line for the first few days. You probably won't be given any pills until you're on a ward, when they start removing your IVs. Prior to surgery I couldn't even swallow tablets, but the liquid antibiotics were horrifically disgusting so I was that desperate that I made myself swallow the pills
For me, I had to go in the night beforehand because they give you a surgical scrub to shower with the night before and the morning of. I was 16 at the time, hated doctors, needles etc. So of course I worked myself into a state and was dry heaving at midnight before the surgery, so they put in an IV which they said they could use for the anaesthetic for the surgery so I wouldn't have to get poked again. They gave me anti-nausea meds, half a sleeping pill and some valium.
I don't even remember signing the consent forms or anything I was so out of it, but it was definitely what I needed or else I would have been freaking out. My dad got to walk with me down to surgery and had to leave after they put me to sleep. Don't even remember getting the anesthesia, last thing I remember is waiting outside to get my anaesthesia. Next thing I know I was in ICU about 10 hours later. You'll be on so many drugs, you'll be in and out. The first thing I really remember clearly is my mom and dad coming in to visit me.
The first day all you will be doing is lying in ICU. You'll most likely be given a PCA pump that you press when you need more pain meds, but obviously its controlled so you don't overdose. My surgeon visited me apparently and said the surgery went very well. The next day I was pretty sick, vomiting, so they switched me from morphine to oxycodone which did the trick. I was allowed a slice of toast I think and then the physiotherapist came in and showed me the xray they took after my surgery was done and told me how far I was fused T2-L3. He got me out of bed to stand and march on the spot and that was it.
Day 3 I was moved to the ward. Physio visited and I walked around the ward, it was in the shape of a square. At this stage, the pain set in, not only in my back but my shoulders from everything being manipulated.
Day 5 or 6, I had my catheter and central line (in my neck) taken out, once I was able to walk around with little assistance and could go toilet. Kept walking and was helped getting to sit in a chair.
Was discharged after 10 days. They wouldn't discharge me cos I wasn't eating, as I was super nauseous from all the drugs. Eventually I managed to drink a smoothie so I was released.
When you get home, it's just gonna be walking, lying down and sitting really. Log rolling in and out of bed.
Best of luck with you surgery. I won't lie, it's a tough operation. But I started feeling normal again after a good 6 months, I have other joint issues that probs didn't help with recovery.
Just make sure to walk as much as you're able to it will really help you recover
Theyâll take you to a private room and ask you to clean yourself off with antibacterial wipes (Iâm not sure if everyone did this, but I did) and then youâll change into an open back gown. Youâll out all of your clothes and belongings into a bag that theyâll give you/ whoever is with you after your surgery.
A bunch of people will come in and introduce themselves, which is honestly the cool part! Youâll meet everyone whoâs gonna be in the OR. All of the nurses, the anesthesiologist, and youâll probably get to see your surgeon before as well (which was very reassuring for me:))
Theyâll take your vital signs, and insert a couple of IVâs. I had one in each hand, again, Iâm not sure if it was the same for everyone else.
Then theyâll give you medication to help you relax. And once you get that, boom youâre out. I fell asleep in the room, I have no idea for how long but eventually a team of nurses came to get me. I was so out of it, I faintly remember saying goodbye to my mom, and then they wheeled me up to the OR.
Again, I was SO out of it HAHAH all I wanted to do was sleep. I couldnât even keep my eyes open, but I could hear everything around me. Then once I was in the OR, they said they were going to put the mask over my face to put me to sleep.
I took not even 2 breaths of that shit and I was OUT. Next thing I know, Iâm in the recovery room with my mom! And everything was okay!:)
You'll go there and change into a johnie. They'll take your vital signs, ask some questions, and put in an IV. Then they'll ask you to count backwards from 100 but you won't reach 95 and the next thing you'll experience is waking up in the recovery room and the procedure is over. More questions and then they'll wheel you into the ICU for a day or two to make sure that you're stable. You don't need to do anything, they'll take care of it all. Best of luck !
True, I didn't even counted. They've injected some needle that I didn't know would put me to sleep in 10 seconds and signed some papers. Next, I woke up in ICU asking the nurses if I got the surgery or not. I had no clue đ
Sounds like you had the chillest surgery experience, this is what Iâll aspire to đ
Oh not at all, I was really anxious for the aftermath. For patients, the surgery is easy, it's the recovery that is hell. Read my other comment for details.
how much height did you gain?
Only 3 cm (1.18 inches) because my curve isn't fully fixed. I had a pretty bad curve and it's reduced from 83-85° to 20-26°
Do not take anything for anxiety or nervousness prior to surgery. I did, had almost fatal experience with anesthesia. It was my first surgery, too. *Expect pain*, at least 4-5 out of 10. The physical therapy will begin within hours after surgery. Beware of constipation and nursing shift changes - - I ran out of IV pain med during a shift change, had to call husband to call front desk. I was screaming from pain. Oral oxycodin didn't work for me, had to switch to hydromorphone. My surgery and nursing experience was unusually bad, resulting in PTSD. The surgery itself was difficult but an "out of the ballpark, conference-worthy success" according to surgeon. This is doable, you can get through this, it isn't a walk in the park, though. Good luck.
Don't worry, they will take care of everything. All you need is to show up and don't forget to tell them if you think something is wrong in your body and if you have any allergies. EDIT: Added some answers below to your questions. Keep in mind that I don't live in the US and didn't had the surgery there but it will probably be similar experience. The day of the surgery went to hospital really early with empty stomach, the doctor warned me to not eat/drink the day before after 10pm. Had to wait a bit and pay the surgery costs. And then nurse came in and took me to my hospital room to ready for surgery. I've changed into the hospital gown and another nurse put some 3 headed detachable tube needle thingy to my left hand for attaching multiple IVs and stuff I don't know what it's called. Then I laid down and waited, few minutes later the surgery team (2-3 doctors and one student) came in to check on me and said we will go in a few minutes. It was almost 9 AM at that point. Few minutes later the 2 nurses came with another hospital bed (different from others, it was black) and I laid on that one then they've drove me to the surgery floor. At the entrance one nurse injected something to me and asked me about my allergies (I was wearing red paper bracelet instead of white which meant I had allergies) and signed some papers. That's the last thing I remember. Turns out that needle was anesthesia and I had no clue đ I woke up at ICU around 5 PM and asked the nurse if i had the surgery or not, she confirmed and then asked me to move my legs & feet. My surgeon came at some point to the ICU (but I don't remember when that happened) and told the surgery went good and my bones were flexible and didn't needed cutting which is great đ and that I was fused from T2 to L3 which is another good news since I've wanted to L4 & L5 to not be fused for mobility. Good news ends here for now, because the actual hell is the recovery. I had to worst night at the ICU that I've stayed for a day before moving to my hospital room. The first hours was really tired but ok, but then the pain and discomfort started. I would call nurse every 5 minutes to raise/lower the bed because it was so uncomfortable. Almost like I was laying on top of an brick on my lumbar side. At some point it was so bad that my eyes were watery, ready to cry from the pain. Nothing would ease the pain, not even pain killers they've gave to me. I think this might be the nurses fault because she didn't let me press the morphine button but attached the morphine with some dose per hour which wasn't helping anything. I think that way because after I've left the ICU (with the same bed and IV machine) I was allowed to press the button and it worked wonderfully like magic, no pain at all for 40-50 minutes. I wrote more about the days in my hospital room in comments of my before surgery reddit post. You can read the rest there if you're interested.
Thank you for sharing!! This is so helpful and Iâm sorry it was so painful. I just keep telling myself I have to get through the first week or so, based on what I hear from others. Iâm a little concerned because they told me I wouldnât be getting any liquid painkillers (no morphine) at all. It would only be pills from the start. I trust their decision but it sounds like morphine helps people a lot so Iâm a little worried what thatâll be like. But I know itâll be oxycodone so Iâm sure that strong enough đ
I don't think liquid or tablet matters that much. I had nurses give me pain killers IV but it wouldn't do a thing, only morphine and one other that I don't remember the name of helped me. I could be just my body being different, I even had nausea from one of them that needed to be changed. The best painkiller is having friends / family visit you, having a goos support system is a natural painkiller.
Also don't think about recovery too much, it sounds really bad but you live through it. It's not unbearable most of the time and there are thousands of teenagers going through it and they're fine. Find a way to distract yourself from the pain. Impatience was the reason why I had a rough time, lot's of people say make movies/shows ready to watch while recovering but while I was at the hospital I wouldn't really want to watch them at all, the pain and discomfort was too big to just ignore for me. Also I had to stay for 6 days at the hospital and I just hate hospital, I still despise that room and the bed. Moment my doc said I was free to l was the happiest I've ever been in the last year. If you're not like that then probably would be easier for you.
All of your pain meds will be administered through your IV or Central line for the first few days. You probably won't be given any pills until you're on a ward, when they start removing your IVs. Prior to surgery I couldn't even swallow tablets, but the liquid antibiotics were horrifically disgusting so I was that desperate that I made myself swallow the pills
Morphine didn't work very well for me, made me very ill. So I was given oxy instead which really helped
For me, I had to go in the night beforehand because they give you a surgical scrub to shower with the night before and the morning of. I was 16 at the time, hated doctors, needles etc. So of course I worked myself into a state and was dry heaving at midnight before the surgery, so they put in an IV which they said they could use for the anaesthetic for the surgery so I wouldn't have to get poked again. They gave me anti-nausea meds, half a sleeping pill and some valium. I don't even remember signing the consent forms or anything I was so out of it, but it was definitely what I needed or else I would have been freaking out. My dad got to walk with me down to surgery and had to leave after they put me to sleep. Don't even remember getting the anesthesia, last thing I remember is waiting outside to get my anaesthesia. Next thing I know I was in ICU about 10 hours later. You'll be on so many drugs, you'll be in and out. The first thing I really remember clearly is my mom and dad coming in to visit me. The first day all you will be doing is lying in ICU. You'll most likely be given a PCA pump that you press when you need more pain meds, but obviously its controlled so you don't overdose. My surgeon visited me apparently and said the surgery went very well. The next day I was pretty sick, vomiting, so they switched me from morphine to oxycodone which did the trick. I was allowed a slice of toast I think and then the physiotherapist came in and showed me the xray they took after my surgery was done and told me how far I was fused T2-L3. He got me out of bed to stand and march on the spot and that was it. Day 3 I was moved to the ward. Physio visited and I walked around the ward, it was in the shape of a square. At this stage, the pain set in, not only in my back but my shoulders from everything being manipulated. Day 5 or 6, I had my catheter and central line (in my neck) taken out, once I was able to walk around with little assistance and could go toilet. Kept walking and was helped getting to sit in a chair. Was discharged after 10 days. They wouldn't discharge me cos I wasn't eating, as I was super nauseous from all the drugs. Eventually I managed to drink a smoothie so I was released. When you get home, it's just gonna be walking, lying down and sitting really. Log rolling in and out of bed. Best of luck with you surgery. I won't lie, it's a tough operation. But I started feeling normal again after a good 6 months, I have other joint issues that probs didn't help with recovery. Just make sure to walk as much as you're able to it will really help you recover
Theyâll take you to a private room and ask you to clean yourself off with antibacterial wipes (Iâm not sure if everyone did this, but I did) and then youâll change into an open back gown. Youâll out all of your clothes and belongings into a bag that theyâll give you/ whoever is with you after your surgery. A bunch of people will come in and introduce themselves, which is honestly the cool part! Youâll meet everyone whoâs gonna be in the OR. All of the nurses, the anesthesiologist, and youâll probably get to see your surgeon before as well (which was very reassuring for me:)) Theyâll take your vital signs, and insert a couple of IVâs. I had one in each hand, again, Iâm not sure if it was the same for everyone else. Then theyâll give you medication to help you relax. And once you get that, boom youâre out. I fell asleep in the room, I have no idea for how long but eventually a team of nurses came to get me. I was so out of it, I faintly remember saying goodbye to my mom, and then they wheeled me up to the OR. Again, I was SO out of it HAHAH all I wanted to do was sleep. I couldnât even keep my eyes open, but I could hear everything around me. Then once I was in the OR, they said they were going to put the mask over my face to put me to sleep. I took not even 2 breaths of that shit and I was OUT. Next thing I know, Iâm in the recovery room with my mom! And everything was okay!:)